Buy Walking VideosHow To Raise Large, Healthy Children
This article from Salon.com highlights a talk that was given at the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) convention this year. Joanne Ikeda gave a talk entitled, “Raising Large, Healthy Kids Who Feel Good About Themselves and Their Bodies.” She is a nutrition educator at the Center for Weight and Health at the University of California at Berkeley.
- Salon.com Life | Let them eat cake — sometimes – Requires watching a commerical to read it, but it’s worth it.
She is right on the mark as far as how to promote a positive diet in children. I was a fat child who was starved every summer in order to “slim down.” I understand the dangers of making sweets an occasional reward.
Ikeda also cautions against making sweets an occasional reward. She related a story about a Marin County mom who said her daughter had become so obsessed with sweet rewards that she woke up every morning and immediately asked her mother if it was going to be a “junk food day.” Ikeda advised her to reassure the child that from now on, every day would be a junk food day, so she wouldn’t stress about it anymore. In that case, she thinks that giving a child a small treat each day is much better than setting up an obsessive reward response around food.
All of her advice is really down-to-earth and reminds me of the entry that I posted a while back about how to promote a healthy lifestyle in children.
If adults concentrate on their own health and exercise habits, then children will follow along. Almost every little boy wants to be like his dad. If he sees dad going on a run every day, he’s going to want to go along. If he sees his dad eating healthy food at dinner every night, he’s going to eat the same food. That’s how kids grow up to be adults.
Sometimes I think people obsess over their children’s weight because it’s easier than facing the truth in the mirror.
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December 13th, 2005 at 9:20 am
I have an old friend who is a track coach. He runs every day and his small children have always wanted to join him and now do. He did not push them to do it, they just want to do what daddy does. Not only do I think they will likely always be healthy since they have started a healthy habit early, they get the invaluable benefit of spending that time with him.
When my children were young, they wanted to lift weights with me. However, I believed the old wives’ tale about weight lifting being bad for young children and did not let them lift. Though they are now active in high school sports and very healthy, I regret that missed time with them and having one more thing we could share.
By the way, if your children do want to join you in working out, don’t be competitive with them and do remember that they are, in fact, children and will have less focus and intensity than you. Adjust their workout to make it fun. The game face can come later.
Wishing I’d known then what I know now….